On Saturday, Arsenal youngster Max Dowman, 15, delivered a cameo that captured the entire Premier League’s attention – and had some excitedly proclaiming that he could even be the X-Factor in the title race.

A solid argument but Rio Ngumoha, who has been held in a similarly high regard on Merseyside, has gone one better.

During pre-season word around Liverpool’s training ground was that young players may find it hard to get a look in given the options now available to Arne Slot.

Then Ngumoha, who turns 17 later this week, tore things up to such an extent on their pre-season tour of Asia that Slot considered him worthy of a squad role rather than stay with the Under-21s.

And having looked so close to throwing away a two-goal lead with a man advantage, the ragged champions called upon their fearless teen to produce one of the most dramatic conclusions that will occur all campaign. Another X-Factor has emerged.

Forget Isak, Guehi should be top target for Liverpool

If marginal decisions had been made differently in the past eight weeks, Hugo Ekitike would have been lining up in black and white stripes last night. Instead he offered another slice of compelling evidence that should Liverpool keep itching to spend in the window’s six remaining days, they might be better off forgetting about Alexander Isak and setting their sights on a centre-back.

Ekitike has appeared to settle in quicker than any of the Reds’ summer arrivals – beyond the goals, his link-up and hold-up play has been top class.

His finish to make it 2-0 should have ensured a straightforward second half – except Liverpool remain too open at the back and Ibrahima Konate, into the final year of his contract, looks shockingly off the level he has previously set and was bullied by Dan Burn for the equaliser.

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, another Newcastle have failed to sign in the past 12 months, is available for £35m. A bargain at a quarter of Isak’s asking price.

Gordon not the answer to Toon problem 

They built the momentum, they pinned Liverpool back, and they just could not find a finishing touch.

On the opening weekend Eddie Howe came close to admitting his team would have beaten Aston Villa had Isak started, before rowing back and insisting that interpretation was overly simplistic despite Anthony Gordon, the fill-in central attacker now facing a three-match ban for his daft and dangerous rake on Virgil van Dijk, failing to convert one of his seven shots.

For much of the opening 35 minutes before going a goal down yesterday evening it was a similar tale – albeit no doubt forgotten by fans given their rollicking finish. They frequently reached Liverpool’s box only to repeatedly break down with Gordon incapable of converting despite his high work-rate.

Gordon said last week that he was enjoying his new challenge but had plenty to learn. Having left his team with a mountain to climb by picking up another needless red card (he missed the Carabao Cup final for the same reason last season), this was firm evidence that he is not the answer regardless of his undoubted levels of commitment.

Wirtz’s role remains unclear 

Ekitike’s ability to assimilate near-instantly has not yet been passed on to Florian Wirtz.

We are still waiting to see why Liverpool, for so long hailed as measured to a fault when it came to recruitment, felt the Germany playmaker was worth breaking the bank and records for.

The biggest question so far is where Wirtz, all £115m of him, really fits into Arne Slot’s set up.

Positionally he has been deployed as a more traditional No10, tucked behind Ekitike, but he looks on a different wavelength to those around him, not yet finding the runs of team-mates or sufficient space to do his own thing.

Here and against Bournemouth 10 days previous he has appeared neat and tidy without offering any sort of threat.

Rushing to a conclusive judgment is unfair but the fee demands hyper-analysis and Wirtz could badly do with a breakout performance to stop the pressure turning up.